Process for sterilizing packaged textile articles.



JOHN HOWARD WAY AND AIlIBEN WARREN WAY, OF'ST. DAVIDS, PENNSYLVANIA; SAID JOHN HOWARD "WAY ASSIGNOR TO SAID ALBEN WARREN WAY.

IPRUCESS FOB STERILIZING PACKAGED TEXTILE ARTICLES.

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To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN HOWARD WAY and ALBEN WARREN WAY, both of St. Davids, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have jointly invented a certain new and useful Process for Sterilizing Packaged Textile Articles, whereof the following is aspecification Our process is especially directed toward the sterilization of articles intended for human wear, such as underwear, hosiery, mufiiers, sweaters, gloves .and articles of clothing generally, which are liable to carry germs injurious to health. Thus, the yarn or other material from which they are made, may be initially impregnated with germs,

' or during the .actual course of manufacture of the articles therefrom, they may become thus impregnated. Furthermore, even though the'articles be disinfected ind vidually, or in'bulk, after they have been. completed, it is quite possible thatduring the packaging they may become infected with germs carried by the atmosphere, or. derived from contact with the persons of those who handle and pack them. We have found that after an article ofthis character hasbeen completely'inclosed in an ultimate package, suitable for commercial handling, and of such character-as to be practically impervicue to the passage of germs, whether carried by the air or derived from contact withpersons or objects, the said article may be sterilized within such final package itself,

so that it shall come to the purchaser in an absolutely safe condition, notwithstanding exposure to dimase'germsdown to the time when the package was finally closed. For

practical purposes, it" is in the highest de-' gree desirable-that the envelop or inclosing medium for 'a package of this character should becomposed' in whole or in part of paper, not only because of the relative cheapness and adaptabilityof that material, but because of the characteristic which we have found certain kinds ofpaper to' p ssess of being practically impervious to theupassage of disease germs, ofanycharacter, to which a the package 'is' liable .to be exposed under normal circumstances...

- In an application heretofore filed byus under date of April 4, 1914, Serial No.

829,497, we have described a process for sterilizing packaged articles in' which the sterilization is effectedby a chemical are;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April it, 1914. Serial a). 232,962.

withstanding its apparent incompatibility with packages composed in whole or in part of paper. While it is well known that steam at sufliciently high temperature'is an efi'ective sterilizing agent, its use for packages of the character described would be expected to have disadvantages practically 'prohib-itory. .Thus, we have found that in order to insure penetration er a paper inclosed article by the steam, it is necessary that the air should be exhausted from the lnterior of the package to a substantial extent, and practically this requires exposure of the package withina chamber in which a. partial-vacuumcan be produced. The admission of steam however, to an exhausted chamber of this character, or to the intenor of a package from which the air has been exhausted, is liable to be attended by condensation, which would deteriorate the paper and indeed might injure the appearance of the textile articleitselfinclosed within the package. -On the other hand, if the temperature of the steam be high, the paper becomes brittle and the package is unfitted for commercial use. We have devised an organized method of treatment, whereby the conditions may be so. controlled as to practically eliminate these disadvantages, and we can thus eflect the sterilizing ofa paperpackaged. article, by means of steam, without impairing the integrity or appearance of the envelop.

We w 1 now describe our process in its most hi hly organized form, and as em-. ployed in. connection with a paper package part of paper, penetrable by the steam under the conditions set forth and substantially impervious to the passage of disease'germs.

- After the article has beenfinishedandis ready' forpackmg, it'is inclo'sed in anens velop'suitable; for commercial use, such for; instance, as a sack of paper having 'noopen a joints erg-exposed apertures of any-(substanice tial size. We prefer to use paper of the kind commercially known as glazed parchment,

' or Pecoy tissue, which we have found to be penetrable by the steam under the condlsequent of the package. The package may be sealed tions of treatment hereinafter set forth, and

which is substantially impervious to the subpassage of germs, into the interior by the use of a paste not liable to be destroyed by the temperature to which it is subjected in the. subsequent treatment, or the closure may be accomplished by effective I inter-folding and pinching of the edges of the opening. The article thuspackaged is inserted in a closed chamber, preferably large enough to receive a considerable number of packages. -We prefer to employ a chamber and adjunctive devices of the general character set forth in Letters Patent ofthe United States No.704,182, dated July' 8,

' 1902, although We do not limit ourselves to any details of the apparatus, provided it be of a character adapted to carry out the process about to be described. The temperature of the interior of the chamber is. raised to about 240 F., and the air is gently exhausted therefrom, until a vacuum of about fifteen inches of mercury is obtaine'd'within the chamber. We employ the term gentl to indicate such a moderate rate .of wit vdrawal as not to burst the envelop through excess of internal pressure. Dry steam,,hav

ing an initial te perature of preferably about 240 F., is then allowed to enter the .untilla pressure slightly above that of the the interior, care the general temperature-within the chamchamber slowly,

atmosphere is attained'in being taken to maintain ber at a point above that'at which the steam would condense under the conditions existing atany-given moment. Thus, if the steam were allowed to enter the chamber rapidly, its sudden expansion within the ex hausted chamber would result in Substantialcondensation unless the general temper ature were maintained *at a'point too high to be consistent withpreserving the integrity of the paper package. By properly:

controlling the rate of ingress-of the steam we are enabled to prevent any substantial condensation by maintaininga temperature in correspondence'with the conditions ofin-l' any: such-high degree as would injure the paper.

ternal pressure, but without attaining After the desired internal pressure has been attained, as above indicated, the. steam is densation of the steam, under. the conditions shut ofl" and thechamber'is again gently exj hausted until a vacuum of about fifteen. inches lswreached, the internal temperature being maintained during this process-at a point suflicientto prevent substantial conof diminishing pressure existing from time to time during the withdrawal; Thereup'on dry steamof a temperatureofabout; 240, F.,

the character referred the steam, mission of is again allowed to slowly enter the chamber under the same conditions of maintenance of temperature as. that above set forth. We

use the term slowly to indicate such a 'moderate rate of admission of the steam as shall avoid any substantial condensation.

thereof. The controlledingress. of the 'steam is continued until an internal pressure has 7 been. attained, preferably of about ten pounds to -the square inch in excess of at- Y mospheric pressure. This pressure is maintained within the chamber for a period-of about thirty-five minutes, the temperature being also maintained at a point sufiicient 'to prevent substantial condensation of the steam, and thereafter the chamber is again gently exhausted to a pressure of about fifteen inches-of mercury and this condition is Y maintainedfor from eight to ten minutes. Dry atmosphericair is then slowly admitted and the packages are removed. During all this time, the temperature within the chamber is carefully controlled in a downward direction, so that it shall not at any time fallto the condensing point ofthe steam -corresponding with the degree of internal pressure at any given period. On the other hand, the temperature isso controlled in an upward direction as to prevent impairment of the paper itself. In practice We have found that such impairment is-liable to occur if the temperature rises to three hundred degrees F., and we prefer to keepvit.

as much below that point as is consistent with preventing the steam from condensing to any substantial extent within the chamber, either during the period of its admission, its retention or its exhaustion.

i We have found that by the careful maintenance of the described conditions of pressure, temperature, andgentleness or slowness of ingress andegress, steamata sterilizing temperature can be made to penetratea package of to and to so" permeate the inclosed article as to thoroughly. sterilize it, while the integrityof the package is preserved in proper condition for commercial shipment and use, notwithstanding its exposure to a treatment, wh ch, conditions, would "be practicallydestructi'veunder ordinary of its .utility. I v

, In the foregoing description, we have given illustration of our processin its most highly orgamzed form, mwhich it will be observed thatthe package is twice sub- ,jected'to .exhaus'tion for the admission of and twice for the subsequent adairto entirely displace ll Innis.

. ceptible to injury by steam,

ture. While this elaboration of the process may be desirable for articles whose bulk or character renders their permeation by the steam and the subsequent displacement thereof diilicult, we do not consider such repetitions of the steps to be essential, or indeed desirable, under ordinary conditions, where the nature of the packaged article is such that the steam can permeate it with readiness and be readily withdrawn.

As above stated, we recognize that steam has heretofore been used for disinfecting purposes, and we do not claim its use either broadly, or in connection with exhaustion of airfrom the steam chamber.

Our invention is based upon the discovery that an article finally packaged in an envelop composed wholly or in part of paper having the desired qualities, may be thoroughly sterilized within such envelop and that although the latter is readily susthe process may be conducted by an organized control of the conditions of temperature, pressure, and rate of ingress and egress of the steam.

We use the term envelop as broadly comprehending any suitable inclosing package, such as a box, carton, or other structure adapted for commercial use and formed in whole or in part of paper.

Having thus described our invention, we

- claim The hereinbefore described process of sterilizing packaged textile articles, which consists in inclosing the article in an envelop comprising paper of a character permeable to steam, under the conditions set forth, but substantially impervious to the passage of disease germs; gently withdrawing air from the interior of such envelop; slowly introducing dry steam into the interior of the package; substantially withdrawing the steam from the interior of the package by gentle exhaustion; admitting air to the interior of the package; and maintaining the temperature throughout at a point sufficient to prevent condensation'of the steam under the conditions of pressure which exist at the several periods of treatment, but substantially below the point of impairment of the paper comprised in the inclosing envelop.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this sixteenth day of April, 1914:.

JOHN HOWARD WAY. ALBEN WARREN WAY.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. BELL, E. L. FULLERTON. 

